Monday, January 3, 2011

See the Whiteness. Feel the Shine.

My first experiment in natural living is making my own toothpaste. For as long as I can remember, the inside of my lips peels after I brush my teeth. This has been a major deterrent, especially as a child, for brushing my teeth. (This may or may not play into why I had 11 cavities at my dental check up, oops!)  For this reason, I was especially excited to find a couple of toothpaste recipes in the book Brad gave me for Christmas, EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox.  This one was so simple and had ingredients I already had in the house, so I had to try it first.

Cinnamon Toothpaste

2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp water


 Gather supplies.

 Pour in baking soda.

 Add cinnamon.

 Stir until you have a smooth paste.

Spread a small amount onto toothbrush and brush teeth for 2 minutes.  Rinse well.

I loved it! 

Turns out cinnamon is actually a popular ingredient in toothpastes and mouthwashes because it helps kill the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease.  It also helped hide the taste of the baking soda.  Reminded me of cinnamon toast, yum.

The clean I felt afterward was incredible.  I could have swore my teeth were polished.  It lasted into the next morning, and best of all, no peeling skin!  I think this is going to be a staple for me.

Try it out sometime.  It's quick and easy, and the results were more than I expected.

15 comments:

  1. You make it sound so convincing that I might have to try it, and I don't even like cinnamon! I wonder if it would be counter productive to add some brown sugar for a cinnamon bun taste! ha ha ha

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    1. Yes, it would! But try adding some Xylitol, which is sweet like sugar, but also actually good for your teeth!
      Billie

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  2. I may try this for Ellie. Perhaps she has the same problem as you as she just confessed to me that she has not been brushing her teeth for about 2 months. Maybe 3 times in that time. She really hates it, but she seems to like her new toothbrush, so maybe this would help too! Thanks!

    And Sheila, I don't think you should brush with sugar, but it does make a very nice body scrub!!

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  3. This has been something I've been wanting to try too especially to get away from flouride. We have a flouride-free one for our toddler but I'm usually a sensodyne gal(I'll have to try this after I'm passed pregnancy nausea cuz I hate teeth brushing in general right now) Also sounds like a book I need to get my hands on.

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  4. As the husband of this curious wife, I can also testify that it does indeed make your teeth feel polished. I was quite amazed with the results.
    Grace I am so proud of you for making our house better and becoming eco friendly!

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  5. Really? Hmmm sounds so easy! I never thought about adding cinamon. Thanks!

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  6. This is awesome! This post is so informative and I think my subscribers would really enjoy reading this. I would love, actually I'd be honored, for you to come share it at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on Frugally Sustainable this Wednesday. And, I really hope that you will put Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on your list of carnivals to visit and link to each Wednesday!

    Warmly,
    Andrea @ Frugally Sustainable
    Here's the link: http://www.frugallysustainable.com

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  7. You made it:) Thank you so very much for linking up to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways:) I'm so happy to "meet" you! I am totally loving your blog and your posts! I really hope you make Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways a part of your Wednesdays! And keep the great posts comin'
    Very sincerely,
    Andrea @ Frugally Sustainable

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  8. I found you on Pinterest & I love your ideas for this toothepaste & the Bye Bye Black head Scrub- I just got finished making & using them both& they are great! Thanks for posting such eco. & budget friendly recipes!

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    1. I am so glad to hear of your success with these products. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  9. Do you need to make this daily or can you make some up and use it for, say, a week or so?

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    1. I make it in these small batches and then use it each day until I run out. So yeah, about a week or so.

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  10. Thank you for writing this wonderful post on your blog. It is full of valuable information about teeth whitening. I'd like to congratulate you on your work. Have a great rest of the day and keep posting.
    Dentist Philadelphia

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